Shifting Sand
by Cimbeline
Summary: Why has the Middle East been the center of almost all human conflict? Harry and Draco, aurors, think they know why. Mystery/slash romance set in the Saudi Arabian desert. Drarry tension/lemons in later chapters.


A/N: Yes, I understand that this is becoming ridiculous. I am a lazy-ass authoress who deserves to be hanged, blah blah. My resolution before Paris is to FINISH MY ONGOING STORIES. so be on the lookout, love: me. A weird little /smut? for you. Drarry tension (and likely resolution in later chapters.).

* * *

Harry withered in the sweltering desert, a cloth pulled sloppily over his nose and mouth; he squinted his eyes into the swiftly approaching sandstorm, struggling to rein in the loudly braying camels who were even more unmanageable than usual in the stinging onslaught of stone. His cloth-swaddled legs struggled in the shifting dunes.

"Doing all right, Malfoy?" Harry yelled in the general direction of- well, back there. He gritted his teeth as the winds picked up swiftly, blowing back the tail end of his muslin robe and facecloth. The only sound save for desert being rearranged was the strained jingle of some tin bells on the camels. Harry stopped briefly, robe whipping wildly around him, to secure the Saudi wizards' gift of desert amulets. As they had yet to prove they truly contained powerful charms of navigation and resourcefulness, Harry looked after them purely through courtesy.

"Malfoy?" Harry called again. No answer but the jingle of useless bells and whistling winds. He turned, his headcovering nearly blinding him in the backwards flow of air. He could just barely make out a figure a few feet back- gesturing wildly to his- Harry's? Left.

Shit.

All he saw was a brief flash of gold, and then nothing but dunes.

* * *

Harry awoke with a start, eyes burning with smoke and sand. He felt as if he had been run over by the Knight Bus and then stoned to death by Hagrid's rock cakes. He rubbed his eyes lamely, and winced when he pressed on his right cheek- ah. "So I was kicked by the damned camel. Glorious." he said dryly.

Unfortunately for him, Draco was not keen on nursing him back to health. "Actually, it was a bit more like 'I'm a stupid tosser who never learned how to handle camels and subsequently ran into one's foot.' Luckily for _you_, Mr. Potter, I had the good sense to upright the Yurt here and tether the camels indoors so that perhaps, the next time a sandstorm hits, they're a bit more obliging." Draco smirked to himself happily. There was silence. "Harry?" Draco was sorely disappointed that his gloating went without retort and pouted momentarily before schooling his expression ("Malfoys never pout!") and leaning over to the bed to see what had become of His High Camel Handler. He was sleeping. Draco gave a little frown, and changed into his pyjamas, blushing slightly when he slid into bed next to Harry, recalling the circumstances of their sleeping arrangement...

**_/flashback/_**

It had been a long journey, and Harry was keen on a long, comfortable rest on the feather-down mattress he had bought as a package with his Magical Yurt. Draco was also somewhat worse for wear after their magic free ("muggle style" in the words of the blond) journey into the Saudi Arabian desert. Both changed lazily into haphazardly buttoned pyjamas and approached the Yurt's sleeping quarters- a beautiful, feather down, single bed. "Well, fuck." swore Draco. Harry blushed. "Trying to perve on me, eh Harry? Couldn't ask me to bed down with you so you forced it upon me?" Harry mumbled angrily under his bed. "I take it, Mr. Potter, that you will be sleeping with the camels and I thank you for your gracious and incredibly giving nature." With that, he hit the pillow and was snoring softly before Harry had a chance to argue. "Malfoy. Up." demanded Harry irritatedly. Harry pushed and poked Draco's side but it seemed the blond was sleeping- or, at least, determinedly pretending to be.

Harry took one long glance at the camels' litter, swallowed hard, and slid into bed next to Draco.

Draco encountered something interesting in the morning. Opening his sleep-lazy eyes, he froze in confusion at the black hair brushing his cheek and tickling his nose softly. He inhaled deep, a woody and musky scent swirling in his face. He began to extricate himself from the too-warm embrace of Harry Potter. He was almost out when a heavy arm struck out and grabbed- rather, stroked- his thigh- and whispered huskily, "Come back to bed." Draco's heart stopped, then skipped doubletime as he panicked. Potter probably thought he was Ginny or some other one of his birds. He didn't want to imagine how awkward the situation would be if Harry awoke with a piece of Draco's thigh, rather close to his bits, in his palm. Draco flushed at the thought of his bits in Harry's palm- then wrenched away as he felt said bits sniff the air with intense interest. Draco ran, eyes wild and limbs akimbo, to the bathroom where he crashed into the shower and slammed the water on cold.

**_/end flashback/_**

Harry listened as Draco sighed loudly, settling deeper into the bed and trying, unsuccessfully, to keep his thigh from pressing intimately with Harry's. Harry tensed and kept his breathing still, pretending to sleep until Draco's breath slowed and his form collapsed into Harry's back. A few more tense minutes and Harry could feel the telltale warmth pressing into his back all the way to the nape of his neck, where Draco's breath swirled softly behind his ears. Harry smiled into his pillow and drifted off.

* * *

It was morning. Harry was already up, Draco could see, and he strained his ears to hear the sounds of water tinkling in the tail end of a shower. Harry emerged, toweled and glistening, and threw a clean towel at Draco's head. "Shower up, Malfoy. I've got new information from our lead in Al Kharj and I think this one's legitimate." Harry sauntered off in his damned small towel and began to dress. Draco looked away quickly and taking his socks off haphazardly, prepared mentally for a bracing shower.

* * *

End chapter one. You like? Should I abandon this? I have the next chapter already written, so, let me know. R&R s'il vous plait.

-Manthara


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